How to Make a Double-Sided Journal (Dialectical Journal)
Summary
TLDRIn this educational video, the creator guides viewers on crafting a double-sided journal, also known as a dialectical journal, which is a tool for deep literary analysis. The journal features two columns: one for text excerpts and the other for personal responses. The video uses 'Song of Solomon' by Toni Morrison to demonstrate how to record thoughts, analyze themes, and explore character development. It also touches on magical realism, reader's personal journey, and author's word choices, encouraging a deeper connection with the text.
Takeaways
- 📔 A double-sided journal, also known as a dialectical journal, is a tool for deep reading and analysis, allowing readers to record thoughts in two columns.
- 🔍 The left column is for quoting text or excerpts from the material being read, such as books, poems, or articles.
- 🖋 The right column is reserved for personal responses, questions, or comments related to the quoted text.
- 🎨 The journal can include analysis of themes, literary strategies, character studies, and connections to other cultural sources.
- 📝 Sample entries from 'Song of Solomon' by Toni Morrison are used to demonstrate how to fill out a double-sided journal.
- 🧙♀️ The character Cersei embodies magical realism, a genre characteristic that blends the supernatural with reality, as seen in the book.
- 🎶 The journaling process encourages readers to consider character development, such as Milkman's journey and his connection to his ancestors.
- 🔑 Identifying plot points and turning points, or 'aha' moments, is crucial for understanding the narrative's progression.
- ✍️ Personal pronouns like 'I' can be avoided to prepare for more formal essay writing, though their use is a personal choice.
- 🌟 The final sentence of the novel is analyzed for symbolism, representing the protagonist's triumph and self-realization.
- 👥 Indirect characterization, where a character's traits are revealed through their interactions with others, is highlighted as a key literary device.
Q & A
What is a double-sided journal?
-A double-sided journal, also known as a dialectical journal, is a two-column chart that allows you to record your thoughts on a piece of text as you're reading. It can include questions, comments on style or context, author background, analysis of themes, literary strategies, characters, and connections to other sources.
What kind of text can be used in a double-sided journal?
-The text can be from a book, a poem, an article, or any other reading material that you are currently reading.
What is the purpose of the left column in a double-sided journal?
-The left column is for the text or a quote or excerpt from the actual work that you're reading.
What should be included in the right column of a double-sided journal?
-The right column is for your personal response to the piece of text included in the left column.
How does the double-sided journal help in analyzing a book like 'Song of Solomon' by Toni Morrison?
-It allows for a detailed analysis of characters, themes, literary strategies, and connections to the genre or movement of the book, as well as personal reflections and interpretations.
What is an example of a character analysis in the double-sided journal from 'Song of Solomon'?
-The character Cersei is analyzed as embodying magical realism, a technique used in the book to blend the supernatural with the real world.
How does the double-sided journal help in understanding the central metaphor of 'Song of Solomon'?
-It allows the reader to mark and analyze passages that contribute to the understanding of central metaphors, such as the revelation of the flight metaphor in the book.
What is the significance of the quote 'besides I do accept my name it's part of who I am' in the context of the double-sided journal?
-This quote is used to explore the character's acceptance of their identity and the author's choice of names, reflecting on the distinction between slave names and slave status.
How does the double-sided journal help in understanding the climax of the novel?
-It encourages the identification and analysis of important plot points or turning points, such as the character's acceptance of their name and identity, which could be considered the climax.
What is the final quote of 'Song of Solomon' and how is it analyzed in the double-sided journal?
-The final quote is 'for now he knew what Shalimar knew if you surrendered to the air, you could ride it,' which is analyzed in terms of symbolism, representing the main character's triumph and realization of his full identity.
How does the double-sided journal help in understanding indirect characterization in 'Song of Solomon'?
-It allows for the identification and analysis of scenes where a character's traits are revealed not through direct description but through their interactions and the author's depiction of events.
What is the role of the author's word choice in the double-sided journal analysis?
-The double-sided journal helps in examining the author's word choice and literary devices, such as the contrast between 'surrender' and 'ride,' which can reveal deeper meanings and character development.
Outlines
📔 Introduction to the Double-Sided Journal
This paragraph introduces the concept of a double-sided journal, also known as a dialectical journal, which is a tool for readers to record their thoughts on a piece of text as they read. The journal consists of a two-column chart where the left column is for the text or quote from the work, and the right column is for the reader's personal response. The video script provides a template for this journal and explains that it can include questions, comments on style or context, knowledge about the author, analysis of themes, literary strategies, characters, and connections to other sources. The script uses 'Song of Solomon' by Toni Morrison as an example, with the presenter filling in sample entries to demonstrate how to use the journal effectively.
🔍 Analyzing 'Song of Solomon' Using the Double-Sided Journal
In this paragraph, the presenter delves deeper into the analysis of 'Song of Solomon' using the double-sided journal method. The analysis includes examining character development, such as the character Ceresi and her embodiment of magical realism, a genre characteristic of the book. The presenter also discusses the main character Milkman's journey and his connection to his ancestors, as well as the central metaphor of flight. Questions are raised about character motivations and the author's choices in naming characters, which are then explored in the journal. The paragraph concludes with an analysis of the novel's final sentence, focusing on symbolism and the protagonist's realization of his identity. The presenter emphasizes the importance of considering the author's word choice and literary devices, as well as the potential for different readers to have varying interpretations of the same text.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Double-sided journal
💡Dialectical
💡Magical realism
💡Character analysis
💡Thematic analysis
💡Literary devices
💡Excerpt
💡Personal response
💡Chronological order
💡Indirect characterization
💡Socio-economic class
Highlights
Introduction to the concept of a double-sided journal for literary analysis.
Explanation of how a double-sided journal helps record thoughts while reading.
Description of the two-column format for organizing thoughts and text excerpts.
Suggestion to include questions, comments, and analysis in the journal.
Example of using the journal for analyzing 'Song of Solomon' by Toni Morrison.
Analysis of magical realism in the book through the character Cersei.
Discussion on character development and relationships in the novel.
Importance of noting revelations and personal responses to the text.
Explanation of how to use personal pronouns or maintain an academic tone in entries.
Highlighting the climax and turning points in the narrative.
Analysis of character dialogue and its significance.
Encouragement to question and research authorial decisions.
Discussion on symbolism and its role in understanding the narrative.
Analysis of the author's word choice and its impact on the story.
Identification of indirect characterization through scene depiction.
Exploration of themes such as socio-economic class differences.
Invitation for viewers to suggest topics for future videos.
Transcripts
what's up everyone today i'm showing you
how to make a double-sided journal
also known as a dialectical journal this
video was requested by a commenter so
make sure to drop your ideas for future
videos
in the comments down below so what is a
double-sided journal
it's a two-column chart that allows you
to record your thoughts on a piece of
text
as you're reading and this text can be a
book
a poem an article whatever you're
currently reading in the moment and what
you can include in this journal
is a question a comment on the style or
context of the text
knowledge about the author's background
analysis of
themes literary strategies and
characters
or connections to other sources
including
books music and movies here's a blank
template of the double-sided journal and
as you can see
the left column will have the text or
the quote or excerpt from
the actual work that you're reading and
on the right you'll have the
response your personal response to that
piece of text
so i filled in some sample entries in
this journal
from the book song of solomon by tony
morrison
take a second to just pause this video
and read over these entries on your own
it's totally fine if you haven't read
this book i'll be explaining each of
these entries in detail
right now let's take a look at this
first row
the quote on the left says but cersei is
dead
this woman is alive that was as far as
he got
because although the woman was talking
to him she might in any case still be
dead
as a matter of fact she had to be dead
so the woman in this excerpt is cersei
and the hymn
which the quote is referring to is
milkman the main character
who is seeing this woman in front of him
who's supposed to be dead but she is
clearly
alive in his eyes so on the right you
can see my
paragraph response to this quote and
i said that cersei is this character who
embodies this style of magical realism
so in my double-sided journal analysis
i am making a connection to the
characteristic of the book's genre or
movement
because magical realism is a technique
used in song of solomon
that is meant to blend the supernatural
or the fantastical
with the real world so i think this
excerpt
really exemplifies that trait and if we
go further down here
we can see that cersei is encouraging
milkman to become a bridge
between his ancestors and his own family
so i'm drawing
similarities or possibly even
differences between characters
in my analysis of this excerpt allowing
me to think about different characters
at the same time
and also extrapolate beyond
the passage and think about the context
of the whole book in general
let's take a look at the second piece of
text which says
he couldn't be mistaken these children
were singing
a story about his own people and
again the he in this passage is milkman
the main character
and just a quick note i know that if you
can tell by the page numbers that i
didn't do this in chronological order
but usually in your double-sided journal
it would be in chronological order
because you'd be writing your responses
as you are reading but going back to the
passage
if you see my analysis on the right
i'm saying that this passage marks a
revelation for the reader
because the central metaphor of flight
begins to fall into place
so here we're examining the reader's
personal journey or my personal journey
through the novel
so you don't just have to think about
what the characters are feeling but also
really talk about your own
personal experience going through this
book
i know that a lot of double-sided
journals use personal pronouns such as
the word i
i personally don't use the word i
because i'm
trying to set myself up for writing an
essay in which i wouldn't write a use
any personal pronouns but it's really
really up to
you so next we can see
that i am calling this potentially the
climax of the novel
so you should definitely point out any
important plot points or turning points
also known as an aha moment this quote
says
besides i do accept my name it's part of
who i
am guitar is my name baines is the slave
master's name
and i'm all of that slave names don't
bother me
but slave status does so this is
actually a piece of dialogue that's
spoken by guitar another main character
and in my response to the right you can
see that i've written some questions to
either answer now
research for the future or continue to
think about
i'm asking what distinction does guitar
make between slave names and slave
status
and how did the author choose his first
name considering the fact that she did
choose to name certain characters
after biblical and mythological figures
so
not only am i asking a question for
myself
but i'm also asking a question about the
author and her
decisions when writing this novel this
quote
is the last sentence of the novel and it
says
for now he knew what shalom are knew if
you surrendered to the air
you could writhe it so on my
right column here i'm talking about
symbolism so symbolism is analyzing the
deeper significance of this event
object or place so i'm delving deeper
into the symbol
of this final flight between
guitar and milkman and in my opinion
this flight represents milkman's final
triumph that final push
to realize his full identity after he
has reconnected with his family heritage
but that representation is definitely
personal
it will vary based on the reader so just
keep that in mind as you're writing your
response
i also really delved into the
author's word choice when i said that
the contrast between the words surrender
and ride shows that milkman's discovery
of light allows him to let go of his
regrets
so it's great to in this double-sided
journal
explain the author's choice in terms of
the language
that they use think about the literary
devices
or the figurative language that they may
use
when describing a scene or just
setting up an event in general
and in my last excerpt in this
double-sided journal
i included this quote which says they
looked at his skin
and saw it was as black as theirs but
they knew he had the heart of the white
men
who came to pick them up in trucks when
they needed
anonymous faceless laborers so in my
response on the right
i included an example of indirect
characterization
through the main character's
interactions with others so i'm
describing milkman's
wealth and sense of entitlement which
comes across
not through the author's direct
description
but rather through her depiction of a
particular scene so
it's great to highlight either direct or
indirect characterization
in your double-sided journal and i also
explained an idea that may lead to a
larger theme
which is that milkman and the people of
shalamar
are separated by socio-economic class
differences
this theme may be the fact that
communities are divided
by categories such as class differences
and this may cause members of that
community to
drift apart for example milkman being
raised in a different part of the
country and having a
very wealthy upbringing makes him
distant
from the people of shalamar and distant
from his own family history
thanks for watching i hope you found
this video helpful
if you did remember to like comment
subscribe and tap the bell to receive
notifications whenever i make a new
video and let me know in the comments
what you think
the topic of my next video should be
i'll see you next time
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